final meeting

Yesterday, we had our very last meeting with our trainer from Grandfather Home. The only thing we lacked was my high school diploma (the state won't accept college diplomas as proof of education!), so she took that. She hasn't received our fingerprinting info but she expects to any day. We had to read over everything she had compiled on us, and I have to say, it was interesting to see our whole lives boiled down to 20 pages of excerpts. And provided everything goes as planned, she will send in our licensing packet to Raleigh next Wednesday, October 1.

Because of staffing issues at the state level, we can reasonably expect an 8-week turnaround time. So, if our paperwork goes in October 1, it's safe to estimate we will be licensed by December 1. Obviously, this is much later than we had anticipated or hoped for when we started this journey. BUT. I will be leaving the class I teach during the mornings, and my last day is December 11. So we are choosing to look at this as best for the child(ren), even if it's not our preference. This means we will not have to utilize daycare at all. Even if we get a call that very day (December 1, say), either Jake can take off work until December 11, or my mom can come up, or "worst" case scenario, I could leave my job early. I informed the school of our decision in June, hoping they would find my replacement, and they have! A wonderful lady with tons of experience is currently my "assistant", but when I leave, she will be teaching the class. So it wouldn't be a big deal if I left a few days early.

When I asked if we would have a placement by Christmas, our trainer responded with a "probably"...but she warned us not to accept a placement just because we want a child for Christmas. She said if we aren't sure the child or children would be a good fit, "we want a child by Christmas" should not be the deciding factor. It will not be unicorns and rainbows. The adjustment period will be hard, and likely not over before Christmas, so it won't be Norman Rockwell by any means.

So we are praying for patience, and encouragement, and wisdom to know what to say to the first call we get. We are praying everything goes through quickly and that a nearly ideal placement will come our way ASAP. And in the meantime, I am determined to be a productive member of society and not allow myself to just be sad and waiting around, because who knows when a child will come our way. We are excited to see how God uses us and our time in the coming weeks, months, and years. Thank you again for your continued support and encouragement! It means the world to us :)